Ismail Saïbari resisted the temptations of representing Belgium, and years later he is reaping the reward of that decision while wearing the Morocco shirt, having seized the spotlight at the 2026 World Cup and etched his name into the tournament's record books alongside the Atlas Lions.
Saïbari made a powerful start to the tournament after scoring against Scotland in the second round of the group stage, just 70 seconds into the match, registering the fastest goal of the current edition and the fastest goal by an Arab player in World Cup history. He surpassed the mark set by compatriot Hakim Ziyech, who scored against Canada at the 2022 edition after 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
The Eindhoven forward took his tally to 2 goals at the 2026 World Cup, having previously scored against Brazil in the first round, becoming only the second African player to find the net in each of his first two World Cup appearances, equalling the record set by Egypt's Mohamed Salah.
Before the 2022 World Cup, Saïbari came close to representing Belgium after Spaniard Roberto Martínez, the former Belgium head coach, tried to persuade him to join the Red Devils. The player, however, held firm and chose to play for Morocco.
Speaking about his earlier conversation with Martínez, Saïbari said: "I thought it was great and amazing, but I told him very clearly that I had chosen to represent Morocco."
The player, born in Spain in 2001 to Moroccan parents, travelled a long road to reach this stage, passing through several academies in Spain and Belgium — among them Santa Teresa, Vilvoorde, Beerschot, Anderlecht, Mechelen, and Genk — before moving to the Netherlands and joining Eindhoven's reserve side in 2020.
Saïbari earned his place in the first team in 2022 and subsequently cemented his position, after former Morocco coach Walid Regragui urged him to fight for a regular starting role at his club in order to guarantee his place with the Atlas Lions.
He led the Moroccan Olympic team to the Africa Cup of Nations Under-23 title and qualification for the Paris Olympics, before continuing to shine with the senior national side, for whom he has played 31 international matches and scored 10 goals.
Saïbari also excelled with Eindhoven, helping the club retain the Dutch league title for the third consecutive time after an outstanding season in which he scored 15 goals and created 8 more, earning him the Dutch Player of the Year award.
His rise to global prominence coincides with reports that he is close to joining Bayern Munich for around 55 million euros — a deal that, if completed, would be the most expensive in Eindhoven's history.